International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention

ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714

www.ijhssi.org Volume 2 Issue 8 ǁ August. 2013ǁ PP.11-15

Environmental Awareness and Practices among College Students

M.Sivamoorthy1, R.Nalini2,C.Satheesh Kumar3
1
PhD Scholar, Dept. of Social Work / Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
2
Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of Social Work / Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014
3
Assistent Professor, Dept. of Social Work / Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014

ABSTRACT : This paper mainly focused on environmental awareness and practices related to various factors
like causes of pollution, conservation of soil, forest, air, etc., energy conservation, conservation of human
health, conservation of wild life and animal husbandry. It also discusses environmental practices among
college students with regard to the usage of plastic and its disposal, alternative for plastic, toilet usage, its use
in the cultivation of saplings, rainwater harvesting and also their participation in environment related
programmes.. The target was college students because environmental education is part of their curriculum; they
can implement what they learnt. This study will support those who are working with / for the environment
related cases. The study is quantitative in nature. It reveals that the level of awareness is high among the
respondents irrespective of gender difference but in practice level there is difference between genders i.e. males
practicing more than females. This study also proposes some recommendations to safeguard the environment in
India.

KEY WORDS: Students, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Practice, Pollution, Conservation

I. INTRODUCTION
The growing concern with environmental issues and their impact on general awareness is one of the
most noticeable phenomena of the last two decades. Increase in economic activities in developing countries
results in more energy and consumption demand which generally leads to environmental degradation. There is a
conventional belief that such environmental degradation would resolve as soon as these countries grow
economically, since that would enable them to afford environmental friendly technology as well as pro-
environmental regulations and policies. However, several studies indicated that many developing countries
already equipped with environmental policies, legal frameworks and economic instruments, which are regarded
as highly sophisticated by international standards (Huber et al, 1998, Fujisaki et al, 1997) and yet face the
worsening of environmental conditions. Major difficulties these countries confront are not only the lack of legal
and economic framework for environmental protection, but also lack of participation among general public in
pro environmental behaviors. Some of the environmental problems which are critical at the present are fairly
widely known because of the growing awareness of all levels of society, including governments, general public
and the scientific community. However, the present study is trying to discuss the environmental awareness and
practice among college students in Tamil Nadu. The fact that people from different cultures act with a
nationalistic awareness, which is seen as one of the biggest problems of globalization, is taken into
consideration. It will be inevitable for us to face the fact that it would not be easy to find a solution to
environmental problems. India has more than 40% of young people in the world. The sensitizations and practice
of environmental manner is will improve the present environmental conditions.

II. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS IN INDIA

The World Bank expert reveals that in the year 1995 to 2010, India has become one of the fastest
progressing countries in the world, in addressing its environmental issues and improving its environmental
quality. Still, India has a long way to go to reach environmental quality similar to those enjoyed in developed
economies. Pollution remains a major challenge and opportunity for India. India has adopted various
international and national strategies to solve and mitigate many environmental issues such as Environmental
Courts, Environment Friendly Products, Un-leading of Petrol, and Ban on Harmful Pesticides, National Waste
Management Council, Public Liability Insurance, and Pollution by Motor Vehicles, Regulation of Sea Shore
Hotels, National River Action Plan, Solar Energy Commission, and Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places.
Even though, many environmental problems remain unresolved. Environmental issues in India are many. Air
pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and wildlife natural habitat pollution challenge India. Tamil Nadu is
one of the worst cases in dealing with environment related issues. Mohon.I, (2007) in his study stated that there

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are more than 3000 industrial units in Tamil Nadu which have been classified under the highly polluting or 'red'
category. The effluents have caused serious problems in the Palar basin. Similarly, there are a large number of
textile bleaching and dyeing units in Tiruppur, Erode, and Karur, which contaminates the Noyyal, Amaravathy
and other water bodies. There are five main industrial complexes in Tamil Nadu: Manali/Ennore, Ranipet.
Cuddalore, Mettur and Tuticorin which have chemical, petro chemical and other industries. These complexes
have also become environmental pollution hotspots. There are cement units, distilleries, sugar, sago, paper,
dairying, electroplating, chemical and fertilizers (Agro chemicals), mining industries, ores/mineral processing
industries and a variety of other industries which are water consuming and also generate large quantities of
effluents. Some of the industries have also provided the treated effluent for irrigation with some degree of
success. The professional social worker has a very vital role in environmental issues and generating awareness
among people. The priority goes mainly for creating awareness among the students through mass media,
campaign, competitions, voluntary work etc., but by viewing the present situations which is happening all over
India. The environment is not only concern with ecological aspects, but it also affects the livelihood options for
the marginalized groups. As environmental issues are becoming more and more complex and the need to take
action becomes more urgent, college students need to be equipped with appropriate skills that can help them to
make better decisions and choices (Joseph et al., 2004).

III. ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS IN TAMILNADU

In the context of Tamil Nadu in India, the literacy rate is increasing over many years. It led to the
establishment of many number of colleges all over Tamil Nadu, but the quality of education is not up to the
mark. Besides, the students studying in colleges should have social dimensions. In this aspect, environmental
awareness and practice are given these days. In order to have insightful knowledge on college student’s attitude
towards environmental awareness and practice, this study was undertaken. Social workers can sensitize the
people about the importance of environmental knowledge and pro-behavior for sustainable environment. This
can be done by creating awareness among the students through different media and create different paths and
encourage them for safe practices. Environment includes all living and non-living objects. We live in the
environment and use the environmental resources like air, land and water to meet our needs. Development also
means meeting the needs of the people. While meeting the ever-growing needs, we put pressure on the
environment. When the pressure exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment to repair or replace itself, a
serious problem of environmental degradation happens. If we use any environmental resource such as ground
water beyond its limit of replacement, we may lose it forever. Therefore, there is a need to create ‘knowledge’
about Environmental protection. In the past two decades, Environment has attracted the attention of school and
college students in India. They are becoming increasingly conscious of issues such as famines, droughts, floods,
scarcity of fuel, firewood and fodder, pollution of air and water, problems of hazardous chemicals and radiation,
depletion of natural resources, extinction of wildlife and dangers to flora and fauna. Since, Tamil Nadu
incorporated environmental education as part of their curriculum and it’s mandatory for all the students
irrespective of their curriculum. Therefore, it is important to know the knowledge of environmental awareness
among the future generation and their present practice towards environmental protection which leads for
sustainable development. This present study is intended to understand the environmental awareness and
practice status among the college students.

IV. METHODS AND MATERIALS

The aim of the paper is to measure the level of environmental awareness and habitual practices towards
environment among the under graduate regular students with special reference to Arts and Science colleges in
Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu.

Objectives
 To measure the environmental awareness level among the college students
 To study the general environmental practices among the college students
 To suggest actions towards creating environmental awareness and environment friendly practice among the
college students
This research describes the environmental awareness and environmental practices among the college students. It
also provides brief description of the various material practices among the students towards environment. The
descriptive design suits to this paper and fulfills the above mentioned aim and objectives. Dindigul is located at
10.35°N 77.95°E. It has an average elevation of 268 meters (879 feet). It is 130 km from Coimbatore. 100 km
from Tiruchirapalli. Dindigul is a municipality in Tamil Nadu state of Southern India. It is the administrative
headquarters of Dindigul district. It is also known as "The City of Locks and Tannery", and is a fast growing
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tier-4 city in India. It is attracting a great deal of education sector investments. The city also houses a large
number of Textiles spinning Mills and leather factories.
The primary and secondary data has been collected. The secondary data were collected from various
sources such as books, reports and legislations. For the purpose of collecting primary data, the researcher
adopted Standardized scale on Environmental Awareness Ability Measure (EAAMJPK English to Tamil) and
self prepared questionnaire on environmental practices were used for collecting primary data. In this research
work multi stage sampling method was followed for selecting the respondents from study area. In the 1st stage
list of affiliated colleges of Dindigul district functioning under Madurai Kamaraj University (A State University
of Tamil Nadu), Madurai was collected. In the 2nd stage, from the listed colleges, only the colleges started during
the academic year of 2007 - 2008 was selected. On that basis five colleges were selected. In the 3rd stage
systematic random sampling (hard numbers has been taken) was used to select 3 colleges out of 5 colleges. The
total strength of the selected 3 colleges was 559 students. Based on the availability of students only 1st year
students were selected. In these 3 colleges there were 244 1st year students, but 210 students were available
during the period of data collection, all the 210 students were selected based on census method in the 4th stage of
sampling.

V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The researcher presented the collected data with the help of tables. This also intends to do appropriate
statistical test over the data to validate the statistical hypothesis which helps in interpreting data, to explain the
relationship between gender and environmental awareness as well as correlation between gender and practice
which means friendly practice and unsociable practice.
H1: Gender may influences environmental awareness among college Students
H0: There is no association between gender and environmental awareness among college students

Table no: 1 Cross Tabulation between Gender and Environmental Awareness

Environmental Awareness
S.No Gender Total
Low Moderate High
1 Male 0 12(12.76%) 82(87.24%) 94(100%)
2 Female 0 8(6.89%) 108(93.10%) 116(100%)
Total 0 20(9.52%) 190(90.47) 210(100%)
Table
Value df Significant
Chi square
2.076 2 5.99

*SINGNIFICANT AT 0.05% P> 0.05

The table no: 1. exhibits that the associations between gender and environmental awareness among respondents
have been analyzed through Chi square. The p value is 2.076. The calculated value 2.076 is lesser than the table
value 5.99 at 2 degrees of freedom, hence the Cross table Value (CV) is lesser than Table Value (TV) null
hypothesis is accepted. There is no association between gender and environmental awareness. This statistical
data is evident that irrespective of gender, students are aware about the environmental protection.

H1: Girls have better practices on environment than boys

H0: There is no different between Gender and environmental practice
Table no: 2.Group Statistics between Gender and Environmental Practice

Gender N Mean Std. Std. Error

Deviation Mean
environmental practice level Male 94 9.39 2.14 0.22
Female 116 8.78 2.32 0.22
Independent sample t-test
Levene's Test
for Equality of t-test for Equality of Means
Variances
F Sig. T Df Sig.
(2-tailed)
environmental Equal 0.376 0.54 1.984 208 0.049
practice level variances
assumed

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The table no: 2. Explains about Independent sample t-test applied to check the difference between gender and
environment practice. The p value (0.049) is lesser than significant level (P< 0.05), so the null hypothesis
rejected. Since, it is seen that there is a significant difference between gender and environment practice. The
environmental practice is much high among the girl students then boy students in the study area.

H1: Higher the environmental awareness among the respondents higher the environmental practice
H0: There is no significant relationship between environmental awareness and environmental practice

Table no: 3.Correlations between Environmental Awareness and Environmental Friendly Practice

Total Rank POSITIVE

Total Rank Pearson Correlation 1 0.116
Sig. (2-tailed) . 0.095
N 210 210
POSITIVE Pearson Correlation 0.116 1
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.095 .
N 210 210

The table no: 3. describes that the correlations between environmental awareness and environmental friendly
practices among respondents the r value i.e. (r = 0.116) is positive number as an indication that both variables,
environmental awareness and friendly environmental practice are related in the same direction from each other
but it should be noted that there does not appear to exist to any correlation between the correlated variable. The
significant Value p= 0.095 shows there exist no significant correlation between environmental awareness and
environmental practice. Though, environmental education is part of curriculum but students are not practicing
commonly in the study area.

Table no: 4.Correlations between Environmental Awareness and Unsociable Environmental Practice

Total Rank NEGATIVE

Total Rank Pearson Correlation 1 0.028
Sig. (2-tailed) . 0.689
N 210 210
NEGATIVE Pearson Correlation 0.028 1
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.689 .
N 210 210

Table no: 4. Equals that the correlation between environmental awareness and unsociable environmental
behavior. The r value i.e. (r = 0.028) is negative number as an indication that both variables, environmental
awareness and unsociable environmental practice are related in the same direction from each other but it should
be noted that there doesnot appear to exist to any correlation between the correlated variable. The
significantValue p= 0.689 shows there exist no significant correlation between environmental awareness and
environmental practice.

The researcher started this research work to find out answers for questions whether the college students
are aware of environmental issues or not, if they are aware how their practicing in their day to day life.
Eventually the researcher came up with answers in the above mentioned questions with support of primary data
collected from the respondents. Its shows that gender does not influence environmental awareness which means
the result indicates that irrespective of gender college students are aware of environmental issues, at same time
Abdo ( 2010) in his study reveals that Males were shown to be more knowledgeable about environmental issues
than females. And also one more study by Fliegenschnee (1998) found that women usually have a less extensive
environmental knowledge than men but they are more emotionally engaged, show more concern, show more
concern about environmental destruction, believe less in technological solutions, and are more willing to
change. When we look into the practice level, gender is influencing as the result of present study shows that the
environmental practice is much high among the girl students than boy students in the study area. Another
question is whether there is any correlation between environmental awareness and environmental practice
thought by the researcher but the results shows that no significant correlation exists between environmental
awareness and environmental practice that is to say college students are aware of the environmental issues but
when they are going to practice it they fail. Owens, (2000) in his study stated that increases in knowledge and
awareness did not lead to pro-environmental behavior. He points out that common sense tells us that changing
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behavior is very difficult. Anyone who has ever tried to change a habit, even in a very minor way, will have
discovered how difficult it is, even if new behavior has distinct advantages over the old one and Fietkau’s ,
(1981) also said knowledge does not directly influence behavior. This is the unique feature of the study
undertaken by the researcher.

VI. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

The researcher concludes this paper with following recommendation. This study can be further
stretched to do research on developing and employing special contemporary environment awareness packages
for the students through NSS (or) by forming separate department for conserving environment.The researcher
recommends that environmental study should be included in college curriculum and should be taught all
students irrespective of their gender. It can be included in their study by adding more practical oriented
programmes. They can be sensitized by celebrating special day like world environmental day, wildlife day,
world water day, forest conservation day etc., and also knowledge about alternatives for plastic should be
imparted and promoted among student population. It should not be mere a study, rather it should become part of
their life. It can be achieved through the help of NGOs who are working on environmental issues, social
activists, government and Social Work professionals. That is to say students from various disciplines have to
work together to create better environment. Social Workers in collaboration with other disciplines can undertake
scientific researches to explore unexplored aspects of environments. These are all the recommendations given
by the researcher. This research attempted to describes how environmental awareness and practices can be
utilized as a tool for sensitizing the young students about environmental protection. Since this study covered
various areas of social sciences and it relates environmental awareness and practices, it has focused only on the
key literatures in each area. The review highlights the need for Social Work research on environmental
awareness and practices among college students. All these findings urge the need to make efforts to provide the
necessary facilities for promoting environment awareness and friendly approach to safeguard the environment.
This study focused on various aspects of environment, mainly environmental awareness and practice among
college students. This paper concludes with relationship between gender and environmental level of awareness
and practice level, level of awareness is high but practice level is moderate and there are some differences
between gender and practice level among college students.

REFERENCES
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[3] Joseph, L. A., Victoria, E. A., Campbell, A. B. & Louie, R. (2004). Teaching students to make better decisions about the
environment: lessons from the decision sciences, Journal of Environmental Education, 36(1), 33–44.
[4] Abdo, s. A.-w. ( 2010). The effects of demographic factors on the environmental awareness of omani citizens. Human and
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[5] owens, S. (2000). Engaging the public: information and deliberation in environmental policy, Environment and Planning A, 32,
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